System and method for transparently styling non-player characters in a multiplayer video game

ABSTRACT

A system and method are provided for transparently styling non-player characters (“NPCs”) in multiplayer video games such that it is difficult to distinguish between human players and computer-controlled NPCs. NPCs may be styled to resemble human players in terms of both player profile attributes and gameplay actions such that players may not recognize NPCs as non-human, computer-controlled players. Additionally, or alternatively, NPCs and/or human players may be presented with a limited set of profile attributes that may reduce or eliminate the ability to distinguish between human players and NPCs, one or more profile attributes may be “anonymized,” and/or the ability to view player profiles of human players and/or NPCs may be disabled altogether. In certain gameplay sessions including real and/or practice gameplay sessions, human players may be prompted to select from among a predetermined set of playable characters having predefined profile attributes.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates generally to video games, and more particularly to a system and method for transparently styling non-player characters in multiplayer video games such that it is difficult to distinguish between human players and computer-controlled non-player characters.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Multiplayer video games have exploded in popularity due, in part, to services such as Microsoft's Xbox LIVE® and Sony's PlayStation Network® which enable gamers all over the world to play with or against one another. Generally, a multiplayer video game is a video game in which two or more players play in a gameplay session in a cooperative or adversarial relationship. At least one of the players may comprise a human player, while one or more other players may comprise either non-player characters and/or other human players.

A non-player character (“NPC”), which may also be referred to as a non-person character, a non-playable character, a bot, or other similar descriptor, is a character in a game that is not controlled by a human player. In multiplayer video games, an NPC is typically a character controlled by a computer through artificial intelligence.

Often times, when a player logs in to a game system or platform to play a multiplayer video game, the player may engage in a gameplay session in which he or she is matched with other players to play together (on the same team or as opponents). A given player may engage in multiple gameplay sessions during a login session. In addition, each gameplay session may be played with either the same or a different group of matched players.

In some instances, NPCs are used to fill gap(s) in a gameplay session. As an example, in a game that requires ten players to play together on a team, four NPCs may be selected to fill out the team if only six human players have joined. This situation often occurs in matches (games or contests) with novice or lower-skilled players. Unfortunately, NPCs are often easily identified as “generic” or non-human, computer-controlled players. Various indicators including unusual screen names (or gamer tags), incomplete or uncharacteristic player profiles (e.g., having statistics or other attributes that are missing or that do not resemble those of typical players), and idiosyncratic play (during actual gameplay) are each examples of indicators that may alert human players to the presence of one or more NPCs in a given gameplay session.

The use of NPCs in a gameplay session may result in a poor or unsatisfying player experience. Novice or lower-skilled players, for instance, may feel frustrated or discouraged if they continually play in matches filled with NPCs, or believe that they aren't enjoying a true multiplayer game experience. This may result in a decreased desire to continue playing the video game. These and other drawbacks exist with the current use of NPCs in multiplayer video games.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention addressing these and other drawbacks relates to a system and method for transparently styling NPCs in multiplayer video games such that it is difficult to distinguish between human players and computer-controlled NPCs.

Particularly, in some implementations, NPCs may be styled to resemble human players in terms of both player profile attributes and gameplay actions such that players may not recognize NPCs as non-human, computer-controlled players.

Additionally, or alternatively, NPCs and/or human players may be presented with a limited set of profile attributes that may reduce or eliminate the ability to distinguish between human players and NPCs, one or more profile attributes may be “anonymized,” and/or the ability to view (or otherwise access) player profiles of human players and/or NPCs may be disabled altogether. In some implementations, in certain gameplay sessions including, without limitation, a real gameplay session and/or a practice gameplay session (e.g., associated with a “practice” or “training” mode of a game), human players may be prompted to select from among a predetermined set of playable characters having predefined profile attributes (e.g., in-game items such as weapons, powers, skills, customizations, or other profile attributes). Other configurations may be implemented.

While aspects of the invention may be described herein with reference to various game levels or modes, characters, roles, game items, etc. associated with a First-Person-Shooter (FPS) game, it should be appreciated that any such examples are for illustrative purposes only, and are not intended to be limiting. The system and method described in detail herein may be used in any genre of multiplayer video game, without limitation.

Further, as used herein, the term “match” refers to a matching of two or more players, rather than a contest. For example, a potential match refers to a potential grouping of two or more players.

According to an aspect of the invention, a matchmaking application may identify one or more players that are waiting to be matched, such as players whose characters are waiting in a virtual game lobby to join a gameplay session. The gameplay session may comprise any type of gameplay session including, without limitation, a real gameplay session and/or a practice gameplay session (e.g., associated with a “practice mode” of a game).

In one implementation, a matching engine may generate one or more matches by grouping two or more of the identified players. The matching engine may use known or hereafter-developed matchmaking techniques to generate a match (e.g., interchangeably referred to herein as “matchmaking”) by grouping players in an effort to produce the most satisfying player experiences. Game profiles, player profiles, match variables, and other factors may be considered when generating matches.

In one implementation, a game profile may be generated for a gameplay session based on gameplay information. Gameplay information may describe various game characteristics of a gameplay session that may influence the quality of gameplay. For example, gameplay information may include, without limitation, a number of players, types of roles (e.g., snipers), types of in-game items used or purchased (e.g., weapons, vehicles, armor, custom suits, custom paint, tires, engine modifications, etc.), composition of teams (e.g., number and/or types of roles in each team), maps or game levels played (e.g., battle zones, racetracks, sporting arenas, etc.), duration of gameplay (e.g., how duration of a given gameplay session), player skill levels, player styles (e.g., aggressive, prefers to be a sniper, etc.), types of matches (e.g., team death match, capture the flag, etc.), and/or other information related to a gameplay session.

According to an aspect of the invention, a player profile may be generated for a player based on player information. Player information may describe various characteristics of a player, which may be used to assess whether the player will enjoy a given gameplay session, a match, and/or a game. For example, player information may comprise a variety of player attributes including, without limitation, screen name (or gamer tag), style of gameplay (e.g., aggressive), a role preference (e.g., an explicit indication by the player of such preference), a role actually played, a duration of gameplay sessions, a number of gameplay sessions played by in a given login session, in-game items used or purchased by the player, membership in a clan or team, preference to play with clan mates or friends, demographic information of the player (e.g., geographic location, gender, income level, etc.), win/loss records, scores, and/or other information that may be used to determine whether a player will enjoy a given gameplay session, a match, and/or a game.

According to an aspect of the invention, a player profile may further include a numerical value or other metric representative of the player's overall player skill. A player skill value may, for example, be determined according to historical player performance data represented (or conveyed) by one or more player profile attributes. For example, player profile attributes such as number of games played, winning percentage, highest score, lowest score, and the like may be used to determine a player skill value, which may be continually updated and stored over time.

Matches may additionally be based on one or more match variables associated with each player in a match. The one or more match variables may relate to at least one player's characteristic that may influence whether a player enjoys gameplay while placed in a match. For example, and without limitation, a match variable may include a latency between players (e.g., a delay time for data communication between players' gaming systems or platforms such that lower latency is preferentially matched), a player skill level, a team composition (e.g., a role played by each player of a potential match), a presence or absence of preferred players (e.g., clan members, friends, etc.), a time that a player has waited to be matched (e.g., a player having a longer wait time may be preferentially matched), a location of a player (e.g., players geographically close to one another may be preferentially matched), one or more explicit user preferences received from a player, and/or other match variables.

According to an aspect of the invention, a gap in a number of players required for a gameplay session may be identified. For example, in a gameplay session that requires a predetermined number of players to play on a team, gaps (or available player slots) may be identified if there are not enough human players identified to satisfy the predetermined number of players after passage of a predetermined time period.

According to an aspect of the invention, a determination may be made as to whether NPCs should be used to fill identified gaps (available player slots). This determination may be based on a myriad of factors.

For example, in one implementation, the matching engine may make a determination to utilize one or more NPCs if a requisite number of human players has not joined a gameplay session after a predetermined time period so as to not unnecessarily delay gameplay for one or more waiting human players. Additionally or alternatively, the determination to utilize one or more NPCs may be based on a skill level of the one or more waiting human players. In some implementations, human players may be made aware that NPCs may be used in a given match, even though it is not readily apparent which players are NPCs and which are human players.

In some implementations, human players may be provided with an option to fill one or more available player slots with NPCs. For example, in certain instances, a human player (e.g., the host of a multiplayer match) may designate whether available slots should be filled with NPCs, either with or without the other human players' knowledge. In other implementations, each human player may be provided the ability to indicate a preference as to whether available player slots should be filled with NPCs. A human player may indicate this preference, for example, in his or her player profile or through another interface.

In some implementations, the matching engine may elect to utilize NPCs if some threshold number of human players in the match indicate a willingness (or preference) to play with or against NPCs. For example, in some implementations, the matching engine may only utilize NPCs if all human players in the match indicate a willingness (or preference) to play with or against NPCs. Alternatively, the matching engine may utilize NPCs if a majority of players indicate a willingness (or preference) to play with NPCs, or if a majority of players do not oppose playing with or against NPCs.

According to an aspect of the invention, if a determination is made to forego the use of NPCs to fill identified gaps (available player slots), then human players that are waiting to be matched may continue to wait (e.g., in a virtual game lobby) to join a gameplay session until the requisite number of human players has been reached.

By contrast, if a determination is made that available slots will be filled with NPCs, an NPC management engine may select or generate NPCs to fill those slots. For instance, in some implementations, the NPC management engine may select and retrieve one or more NPCs from among a collection of pre-generated NPCs stored, for instance, in a database. Alternatively, the NPC management engine may generate one or more NPCs in real-time (“on the fly”) when or more gaps in a gameplay session are identified.

In other implementations, one or more human players may designate the types of NPCs to be utilized (e.g., a designated team captain from each team may “draft” one or more NPCs to fill empty slots on their respective teams, a designated “host” player may select the NPCs to fill all empty slots, etc.).

In many video games, players are able to view (or otherwise access) player profiles of other players and NPCs. As such, NPCs are often easily identified as “generic” or non-human, computer-controlled players based on things like unusual screen names (or gamer tags), and/or incomplete or uncharacteristic player profiles (e.g., having attributes, historical performance data, or other characteristics that are missing and/or do not resemble those of typical human players). As such, regardless of whether NPCs are selected or generated, or made available for selection by one or more human players, various implementations may be utilized to make it difficult to distinguish between human players and computer-controlled NPCs.

For example, in some implementations, NPCs may be styled to resemble human players in terms of both player profile attributes and gameplay actions such that players may not recognize NPCs as non-human, computer-controlled players. For instance, according to an aspect of the invention, an NPC profile engine may populate a NPC profile (either in real-time when an NPC is generated, or for later retrieval) with attributes and attribute values typical of other human players in a gameplay session. In other words, any player profile attributes that may exist for a human player may also be provided and displayable for an NPC, regardless of whether one or more of the NPC attributes may be populated with non-actionable (or dummy) data. In this regard, a human player that views or otherwise accesses a NPC player profile may be led to believe that the NPC is actually a human player. Various player profile attributes typical of human gamers, yet not necessarily needed for an NPC, may be created and displayed in an NPC player profile. In this regard, an NPC may appear human if its NPC player profile is viewed or accessed by human players.

A variety of known computational and/or statistical methods may be used to ensure that an NPC is generated (for current gameplay or later selection) having attributes and attribute values typical of other human players in a gameplay session. In one example, attribute values for an NPC may be generated in real-time based on the attribute values of one or more human players. In instances where more than one NPC is required to fill gaps in a gameplay session, NPCs may be generated or selected to have different player skill levels (or other player profile attribute values) that span the spectrum of the player skill levels of the human players. In this manner, multiple NPCs may behave differently during gameplay, thereby further conveying the appearance of being actual human players rather than computer-controlled characters behaving identically.

According to an aspect of the invention, NPCs may be further selected or generated according to a desired mix or balance of player roles or types for a given gameplay session. Other factors including, but not limited to, game profiles (described above) may be considered when selecting or generating NPCs for a gameplay session.

Additionally, or as an alternative to styling NPCs to resemble human players, NPCs and/or human players may be similarly styled by, for example, presenting each with a limited set of profile attributes that may reduce or eliminate the ability to distinguish between them. In such an implementation, a human player may understand that the match may comprise both NPC and human players, but it remains difficult to discern whether a particular player is human or NPC.

For example, the presentation of (or ability to view or otherwise access) human and NPC player profiles may be limited to certain profile attributes in an effort to obscure identifying information that may be used to discern a human player from an NPC. In other words, upon accessing a profile for either a human player or NPC, only one or more predetermined profile attributes may be made visible. The remaining profile attributes may be “blacked-out” (or otherwise obscured or redacted), or omitted altogether. In some implementations, a second player profile including only certain profile attributes may be generated “on the fly” for each human player or NPC in a match, with only the second player profiles being made accessible to each human player in the match. Other configurations may be implemented.

Additionally, or alternatively, one or more profile attributes may be “anonymized.” For example, in some implementations, human players' personalized screen names may be replaced with a relatively anonymous screen name, or other similar (generic) descriptor.

Additionally, or alternatively, in some implementations, in certain gameplay sessions including without limitation a real gameplay session and/or a practice gameplay session (e.g., associated with a “practice” or “training” mode of a game), human players may be prompted to select from among a predetermined set of playable characters having predefined profile attributes.

Further, in some implementations, various in-game features such as chat/communication features may be disabled altogether or limited to certain preset phrases, instructions, commands, and/or signals. In this regard, a lack of (or limited) communication between players in a gameplay session may prevent a human player from discovering that a teammate or opponent is a NPC based on a non-response, or an idiosyncratic or unusual response.

In some implementations of the invention, the ability to view (or otherwise access) player profiles of human players and/or NPCs may be disabled altogether.

According to an aspect of the invention, once one more NPCs have been selected or generated to fill gaps in a gameplay session, a gameplay session including the human players and NPC(s) may be initiated. During gameplay, an Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) engine may control an NPC's behavior (including gameplay actions) such that the NPC's gameplay more closely mimics the gameplay of the human players. As previously noted, idiosyncratic play by an NPC during actual gameplay may be an indicator that the character is an NPC and not a human player. By styling an NPC's gameplay tendencies to resemble that of a human player, the human players in the gameplay session may not recognize the NPC as a non-human, computer-controlled player.

In one implementation, the AI engine may analyze an NPC player profile to determine an appropriate skill level of play of the NPC. The AI engine may then analyze gameplay state information associated with one or more similarly-situated human players gathered over time to determine appropriate gameplay behavior for the NPC. In this regard, an NPC that is styled to play like a novice human player, for example, can actually play like a novice human player based on the past performance of other real, novice human players in similar game instances.

In one implementation, an NPC may be directed (or trained) by the AI engine to engage in gameplay behavior that might not typically be associated with that of an NPC. For example, an NPC may be directed to demonstrate behavior such as friendliness (e.g., an NPC that demonstrates sportsman-like conduct during gameplay might be someone that a human player would enjoy playing with again), helpfulness (e.g., an NPC may assist another player via shared strategies or other scenarios), or team-oriented behavior (e.g., an NPC may play toward a common goal).

In one implementation, a NPC may be afforded access to all game objects (e.g., weapons, powers, skills, etc.) that human players may access or earn during gameplay. Oftentimes, an NPC may be easy to identify because they typically only use a certain game object in a certain gameplay situation. By varying these types of “default” behaviors or actions, and enabling NPCs to use or access different game objects in different gameplay situations, NPCs may appear more human-like in their actions.

In various multiplayer matches, during a gameplay session, a human player may earn experience points, virtual currency, or some other accumulated virtual score/benefit that may allow the player to increase his or her level or status, or otherwise progress in the game (for example, by unlocking content or purchasing virtual goods).

In some implementations of the invention, an amount of experience points (or other accumulated virtual score/benefit) earned in a given multiplayer match may be based on the presence of NPCs in the match. For example, in some instances, an amount of experience points (or other accumulated virtual score/benefit) earned in a match with NPCs may be discounted by a predefined percentage or amount because the match included non-human, computer-controlled players.

In other implementations, only experience points (or other accumulated virtual score/benefit) relating to certain gameplay achievements will be affected. For example, killing an NPC opponent may earn less experience points (or other accumulated virtual score/benefit) than killing a human opponent.

In yet other implementations, no experience points (or other accumulated virtual score/benefit) may be awarded in a match with NPCs.

According to an aspect of the invention, the AI engine may monitor NPC gameplay performance in an effort to continually improve NPC performance, logic, strategy, and/or other NPC characteristics.

In some implementations, an NPC may be used over and over in multiple gameplay sessions, and the AI engine may fine tune the performance of the NPC each time so that it behaves in a manner more and more consistent with that of the human players in its gameplay sessions. In this regard, a plurality of NPCs may be created and fine-tuned for each skill level (e.g, beginner, advanced beginner, intermediate, expert, etc.) in a video game.

In implementations wherein an NPC is not saved or stored for later gameplay sessions, the AI engine may nonetheless fine tune one or more of the NPC's player profile attributes and save them in a template or model for later use when generating NPCs to fill gaps.

In one implementation, the AI engine may further consider human player satisfaction metrics when determining when, how, and to what extent NPC performance, logic, strategy, and/or other NPC characteristics may be refined.

For example, according to an aspect of the invention, one or more quality factors may be used to gauge whether gameplay associated with a given match was satisfying to one or more human players. Examples of quality factors may include, for example, a player quitting a match or gameplay session (indicating dissatisfaction), a duration of a game session (e.g., a longer duration may indicate greater satisfaction), a gameplay performance factor (e.g., a kill-to-death ratio in a shooter game, a lap time in a racing game, etc., where greater performance may indicate greater satisfaction), a player engagement factor (e.g., a speed of player input, a level of focus as determined from camera peripherals, etc., where greater engagement may indicate greater satisfaction), a competition level of a game (e.g., whether lopsided or not, where evenly matched games may indicate greater satisfaction), a biometric factor (e.g., facial expressions, pulse, body language, sweat, etc.), explicit feedback from a player (e.g., responses to a survey), and/or other observable metric related to gameplay. One or more of these quality factors may be used to determine whether an NPC's performance either contributed to, or took away from, a human player's enjoyment of a gameplay session.

These and other objects, features, and characteristics of the system and/or method disclosed herein, as well as the methods of operation and functions of the related elements of structure and the combination of parts and economies of manufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of the following description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, all of which form a part of this specification, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in the various figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. As used in the specification and in the claims, the singular form of “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system for transparently styling NPCs, according to an implementation of the invention.

FIG. 2A illustrates an exemplary system configuration in which a server hosts a plurality of computer devices to facilitate a multiplayer game, according to an implementation of the invention.

FIG. 2B illustrates an exemplary system configuration in which a plurality of networked servers communicate with one another to facilitate a multiplayer game, according to an implementation of the invention.

FIG. 2C illustrates an exemplary system configuration in which a plurality of computer devices are networked together to facilitate a multiplayer game, according to an implementation of the invention.

FIG. 3 depicts an exemplary flowchart of processing operations for transparently styling NPCs in multiplayer video games, according to an implementation of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention described herein relates to a system and method for transparently styling NPCs in multiplayer video games, such that it is difficult to distinguish between human players and computer-controlled NPCs.

Exemplary System Architecture

FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary architecture of a system 100 which may include one or more computer systems 110, one or more servers 150, one or more databases 160, and/or other components.

Computer System 110

Computer system 110 may be configured as a gaming console, a handheld gaming device, a personal computer (e.g., a desktop computer, a laptop computer, etc.), a smartphone, a tablet computing device, and/or other device that can be used to interact with an instance of a video game.

Computer system 110 may include one or more processors 112 (also interchangeably referred to herein as processors 112, processor(s) 112, or processor 112 for convenience), one or more storage devices 114 (which may store a matchmaking application 120), one or more peripherals 140, and/or other components. Processors 112 may be programmed by one or more computer program instructions. For example, processors 112 may be programmed by matchmaking application 120 and/or other instructions (such as gaming instructions used to instantiate the game).

Depending on the system configuration, matchmaking application 120 (or portions thereof) may be part of a game application, which creates a game instance to facilitate gameplay. Alternatively or additionally, matchmaking application 120 may run on a device such as a server 150 to determine matches for users in an “online” game hosted by server 150.

Matchmaking application 120 may include instructions that program computer system 110. The instructions may include, without limitation, a matching engine 122, an NPC management engine 124, a NPC profile engine 126, an Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) engine 128, and/or other instructions 130 that program computer system 110 to perform various operations, each of which are described in greater detail herein. As used herein, for convenience, the various instructions will be described as performing an operation, when, in fact, the various instructions program the processors 112 (and therefore computer system 110) to perform the operation.

Peripherals 140

Peripherals 140 may be used to obtain an input (e.g., direct input, measured input, etc.) from a player. Peripherals 140 may include, without limitation, a game controller, a gamepad, a keyboard, a mouse, an imaging device such as a camera, a motion sensing device, a light sensor, a biometric sensor, and/or other peripheral device that can obtain an input from a player. Peripherals 140 may be coupled to a corresponding computer system 110 via a wired and/or wireless connection.

Server 150

Server 150 may include one or computing devices. Although not illustrated in FIG. 1, server 150 may include one or more physical processors programmed by computer program instructions. For example, server 150 may include all or a portion of matchmaking application 120 and therefore provide all or a portion of the operations of matchmaking application 120.

Although illustrated in FIG. 1 as a single component, computer system 110 and server 150 may each include a plurality of individual components (e.g., computer devices) each programmed with at least some of the functions described herein. In this manner, some components of computer system 110 and/or server 150 may perform some functions while other components may perform other functions, as would be appreciated. The one or more processors 112 may each include one or more physical processors that are programmed by computer program instructions. The various instructions described herein are exemplary only. Other configurations and numbers of instructions may be used, so long as the processor(s) 112 are programmed to perform the functions described herein.

Furthermore, it should be appreciated that although the various instructions are illustrated in FIG. 1 as being co-located within a single processing unit, in implementations in which processor(s) 112 includes multiple processing units, one or more instructions may be executed remotely from the other instructions.

The description of the functionality provided by the different instructions described herein is for illustrative purposes, and is not intended to be limiting, as any of instructions may provide more or less functionality than is described. For example, one or more of the instructions may be eliminated, and some or all of its functionality may be provided by other ones of the instructions. As another example, processor(s) 112 may be programmed by one or more additional instructions that may perform some or all of the functionality attributed herein to one of the instructions.

The various instructions described herein may be stored in a storage device 114, which may comprise random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), and/or other memory. The storage device may store the computer program instructions (e.g., the aforementioned instructions) to be executed by processor 112 as well as data that may be manipulated by processor 112. The storage device may comprise floppy disks, hard disks, optical disks, tapes, or other storage media for storing computer-executable instructions and/or data.

The various components illustrated in FIG. 1 may be coupled to at least one other component via a network, which may include any one or more of, for instance, the Internet, an intranet, a PAN (Personal Area Network), a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), a SAN (Storage Area Network), a MAN (Metropolitan Area Network), a wireless network, a cellular communications network, a Public Switched Telephone Network, and/or other network. In FIG. 1, as well as in other drawing Figures, different numbers of entities than those depicted may be used. Furthermore, according to various implementations, the components described herein may be implemented in hardware and/or software that configure hardware.

The various databases 160 described herein may be, include, or interface to, for example, an Oracle™ relational database sold commercially by Oracle Corporation. Other databases, such as Informix™, DB2 (Database 2) or other data storage, including file-based, or query formats, platforms, or resources such as OLAP (On Line Analytical Processing), SQL (Structured Query Language), a SAN (storage area network), Microsoft Access™ or others may also be used, incorporated, or accessed. The database may comprise one or more such databases that reside in one or more physical devices and in one or more physical locations. The database may store a plurality of types of data and/or files and associated data or file descriptions, administrative information, or any other data.

Exemplary Multiplayer System Configurations

FIG. 2A illustrates an exemplary system configuration 200A in which a server hosts a plurality of computer devices to facilitate a multiplayer game, according to an implementation of the invention. In one implementation, one or more servers 150 may host a number of computer systems 110 (illustrated as computer systems 110A, 110B, . . . , 110N) via a network 102. Each computer system 110 may include one or more peripherals (illustrated as peripherals 140A, 140B, . . . , 140N). In this manner, one or more servers 150 may facilitate the gameplay of different players using different computer systems 110 and/or otherwise provide one or more operations of matchmaking application 120 (illustrated in FIG. 1).

In some instances, a given server 150 may be associated with a proprietary gameplay network system, such as, without limitation, Microsoft's Xbox LIVE® and Sony's PlayStation Network®, and/or another type of gameplay network system. In this implementation, a given computer system 110 may be associated with a particular type of gaming console. Other types of computer systems 110 using other types of gameplay networks may be used as well.

FIG. 2B illustrates an exemplary system configuration 200B in which a plurality of computer systems 110 are networked together to facilitate a multiplayer game, according to an implementation of the invention. Any one or more of the computer devices 110 may serve as a host and/or otherwise provide one or more operations of matchmaking application 120 (illustrated in FIG. 1).

FIG. 2C illustrates an exemplary system configuration 200C in which a computer system 110 is used by a plurality of users to facilitate a multiplayer game, according to an implementation of the invention. In an implementation, computer system 110 may be considered to host the multiplayer game and/or otherwise provide one or more operations of matchmaking application 120 (illustrated in FIG. 1).

Referring to FIGS. 2A-2C, in an implementation, a host may facilitate the multiplayer game and/or perform other operations described herein. In an implementation, at least some of these operations may also or instead be performed by an individual computer system 110. Furthermore, the illustrated system configurations are exemplary only and should not be viewed as limiting in any way. Other system configurations may be used as well, as would be appreciated by those having skill in the art.

Generating Matches

According to an aspect of the invention, matchmaking application 120 may identify one or more players that are waiting to be matched, such as players whose characters are waiting in a virtual game lobby to join a gameplay session. The gameplay session may comprise any type of gameplay session including, without limitation, a real gameplay session and/or a practice gameplay session (e.g., associated with a “practice” or “training” mode of a game).

In one implementation, a player may be added to a gameplay session immediately if there is an opening.

In one implementation, matching engine 122 may generate one or more matches by grouping two or more of the identified players. The number of players placed in each match may depend on a number of players waiting to be matched, a number of players needed for a game session (e.g., a number of players needed to form a team or start a match), a number of players that can be accommodated by a game session, and/or other information. Different matches may include different combinations of different players, which may include different numbers of players.

Matching engine 122 may use known or hereafter-developed matchmaking techniques to generate a match (e.g., interchangeably referred to herein as “matchmaking”) by grouping players in an effort to produce the most satisfying player experiences. Game profiles, player profiles, match variables, and other factors may be considered when generating matches.

Game Profiles

In one implementation, a game profile may be generated for a gameplay session based on gameplay information. Gameplay information may describe various game characteristics of a gameplay session that may influence the quality of gameplay. For example, gameplay information may include, without limitation, a number of players, types of roles (e.g., snipers), types of in-game items used or purchased (e.g., weapons, vehicles, armor, custom suits, custom paint, tires, engine modifications, etc.), composition of teams (e.g., number and/or types of roles in each team), maps or game levels played (e.g., battle zones, racetracks, sporting arenas, etc.), duration of gameplay (e.g., how duration of a given gameplay session), player skill levels, player styles (e.g., aggressive, prefers to be a sniper, etc.), types of matches (e.g., team death match, capture the flag, etc.), and/or other information related to a gameplay session.

A game profile may be specific for a given gameplay session (e.g., different game profiles may be associated with different gameplay sessions) and/or may be used to generate a broader game profile for a particular game (e.g., different games may be associated with different game profiles). In this manner, a given game or gameplay session may be characterized using a game profile.

Player Profiles

According to an aspect of the invention, a player profile may be generated for a player based on player information. Player information may describe various characteristics of a player, which may be used to assess whether the player will enjoy a given gameplay session, a match, and/or a game.

For example, player information may comprise a variety of player attributes including, without limitation, screen name (or gamer tag), style of gameplay (e.g., aggressive), a role preference (e.g., an explicit indication by the player of such preference), a role actually played, a duration of gameplay sessions, a number of gameplay sessions played by in a given login session, in-game items used or purchased by the player, membership in a clan or team, preference to play with clan mates or friends, demographic information of the player (e.g., geographic location, gender, income level, etc.), win/loss records, scores, and/or other attributes or information without limitation that may be used to determine whether a player will enjoy a given gameplay session, a match, and/or a game.

Information from a player profile may be indexed by time. For example, the foregoing player information may include all player information known about a player, a subset of all information (e.g., information related to the last day, week, month, previous “N” number of game sessions, login sessions, etc.). In this manner, a player profile may relate to all-time gameplay of the player, recent gameplay of the player, time of day (e.g., a player may be associated with different player profiles at different times of the day, such as having an aggressive play style during evening hours and a more relaxed play style during morning hours), and/or other subset.

According to an aspect of the invention, a player profile may include a numerical value or other metric representative of the player's overall player skill. A player skill value may, for example, be determined according to historical player performance data represented (or conveyed) by one or more player profile attributes. For example, player profile attributes such as number of games played, winning percentage, highest score, lowest score, and the like may be used to determine a player skill value. It should be appreciated that the number and type of player profile attributes used to determine a player skill value may vary depending on the type of video game. As an example, in a first-person-shooter game, numerical values associated with attributes such as Score Per Minute (“SPM”), Kill/Death Ratio (“KDR”), Win/Loss Ratio (“WLR”), or other attributes may be used to generate a player skill value for the player. The player skill value may be continually updated and stored over time.

Match Variables

Matches may additionally be based on one or more match variables associated with each player in a match. The one or more match variables may relate to at least one player's characteristic that may influence whether a player enjoys gameplay while placed in a match. For example, and without limitation, a match variable may include a latency between players (e.g., a delay time for data communication between players' gaming systems or platforms such that lower latency is preferentially matched), a player skill level, a team composition (e.g., a role played by each player of a potential match), a presence or absence of preferred players (e.g., clan members, friends, etc.), a time that a player has waited to be matched (e.g., a player having a longer wait time may be preferentially matched), a location of a player (e.g., players geographically close to one another may be preferentially matched), one or more explicit user preferences received from a player, and/or other match variables.

Identifying a Gap in a Number of Required Players

According to an aspect of the invention, a gap in a number of players required for a gameplay session may be identified. For example, in a gameplay session that requires a predetermined number of players to play on a team, gaps (or available player slots) may be identified if there are not enough human players identified to satisfy the predetermined number of players after passage of a predetermined time period.

Determining Whether to Fill Identified Gap(s) with NPCs

According to an aspect of the invention, the determination as to whether NPCs are used to fill identified gaps (available player slots) may be based on a myriad of factors.

For example, in one implementation, matching engine 122 may make a determination to utilize one or more NPCs if a requisite number of human players has not joined a gameplay session after a predetermined time period so as to not unnecessarily delay gameplay for one or more waiting human players. Additionally or alternatively, the determination to utilize one or more NPCs may be based on a skill level (e.g., beginner, intermediate, expert, etc.) of the one or more waiting human players. For example, if an average skill level of the waiting human players is less than a threshold skill level (e.g., less than an intermediate level), matching engine 122 may make the determination to utilize NPCs. In some implementations, human players may be made aware that NPCs may be used in a given match, even though it is not readily apparent which players are NPCs and which are human players.

In some implementations, human players may be provided with an option to fill one or more available player slots with NPCs. For example, in certain instances, a human player (e.g., the host of a multiplayer match) may designate whether available slots should be filled with NPCs, either with or without the other human players' knowledge. In other implementations, each human player may be provided the ability to indicate a preference as to whether available player slots should be filled with NPCs. A human player may indicate this preference, for example, in his or her player profile or through another interface.

In some implementations, matching engine 122 may elect to utilize NPCs if some threshold number of human players in the match indicate a willingness (or preference) to play with or against NPCs. For example, in some implementations, matching engine 122 may only utilize NPCs if all human players in the match indicate a willingness (or preference) to play with or against NPCs. Alternatively, matching engine 122 may utilize NPCs if a majority of players indicate a willingness (or preference) to play with NPCs, or if a majority of players do not oppose playing with or against NPCs.

Selecting or Generating NPCs to Fill Gaps

In some implementations, once a determination is made that available slots will be filled with NPCs, NPC management engine 124 may select or generate NPCs to fill those slots. For instance, in some implementations, NPC management engine 124 may select and retrieve one or more NPCs from among a collection of pre-generated NPCs stored, for instance, in database 160. Alternatively, NPC management engine 124 may generate one or more NPCs in real-time (“on the fly”) when or more gaps in a gameplay session are identified.

In other implementations, one or more human players may designate the types of NPCs to be utilized (e.g., a designated team captain from each team may “draft” one or more NPCs to fill empty slots on their respective teams, a designated “host” player may select the NPCs to fill all empty slots, etc.).

Styling NPCs and/or Human Players

In many video games, players are able to view (or otherwise access) player profiles of other players and NPCs. As such, NPCs are often easily identified as “generic” or non-human, computer-controlled players based on things like unusual screen names (or gamer tags), and/or incomplete or uncharacteristic player profiles (e.g., having attributes, historical performance data, or other characteristics that are missing and/or do not resemble those of typical human players).

Regardless of whether NPCs are selected or generated, or made available for selection by one or more human players, various implementations may be utilized to make it difficult to distinguish between human players and computer-controlled NPCs.

For example, in some implementations, NPCs may be styled to resemble human players in terms of both player profile attributes and gameplay actions such that players may not recognize NPCs as non-human, computer-controlled players.

Additionally, or alternatively, NPCs and/or human players may be similarly styled in a number of ways (described in greater detail below).

Styling NPCs to Resemble Human Players

According to an aspect of the invention, NPC profile engine 126 may populate a NPC profile (either in real-time when an NPC is generated, or for later retrieval) with attributes and attribute values typical of other human players in a gameplay session. In other words, any player profile attributes that may exist for a human player may also be provided and displayable for an NPC, regardless of whether one or more of the NPC attributes may be populated with non-actionable (or dummy) data. In this regard, a human player that views or otherwise accesses a NPC player profile may be led to believe that the NPC is actually a human player. Player profile attributes including demographic information (e.g., geographic location, gender, income level, etc.) may be created and displayed in an NPC player profile, along with player appearance preferences (e.g., player and weapon skins), membership in a “fake” clan or team, preference to play with clan mates or friends, win/loss records, scores, and/or other information typical of human gamers, yet not necessarily needed for a NPC. In this regard, an NPC may appear human if its NPC player profile is viewed or accessed by human players.

A variety of known computational and/or statistical methods may be used to ensure that an NPC is generated (for current gameplay or later selection) having attributes and attribute values typical of other human players in a gameplay session. In one example, attribute values for an NPC may be generated in real-time based on the attribute values of one or more human players. By way of non-limiting example, in a first-person-shooter video game, a single NPC may be needed to join four human players in order to field a team of five players required for a particular gameplay session. As a result of a matchmaking process, the four human players may comprise “beginner” players that have been matched together based on, for instance, similar player skill values (e.g., player skill values within a predetermined range, standard deviation, etc.), or other criteria. As an example, Player #1 may have a player skill value of 100, Player #2 may have a player skill value of 95, Player #3 may have a player skill value of 110, and Player #4 may have a player skill value of 90. As such, NPC profile engine 126 may generate a player skill level for the NPC commensurate with those of the four human players. For example, the NPC may be assigned a player skill level of 98.75 (or 99), which is an average of the player skill levels of the four human players. Alternatively, the NPC may be assigned a player skill level somewhere between 90 and 110, which represents the range of the player skill levels of the four players.

While the aforementioned, non-limiting example demonstrates how a single player profile attribute value (player skill level) may be calculated, it should be appreciated that similar calculations may be effectuated for each profile attribute for the NPC. For example, in the first-person-shooter game referenced above, the player skill value may be generated based on attributes such as Score Per Minute (“SPM”), Kill/Death Ratio (“KDR”), and Win/Loss Ratio (“WLR”). As such, NPC profile engine 126 may (via use of averages, ranges, or other known computational and/or statistical methods) populate the NPC player profile with numerical values (or other metrics) for each of the SPM, KDR, and WLR in addition to the player skill level. As such, a human player that views the NPC player profile will be able to view a set of metrics underlying (or supporting) the NPC's player skill level, thereby further giving the NPC the appearance of being a real (human) player.

In other implementations, NPC profile engine 126 may determine a player profile attribute value (or metric) for an NPC, and then use the determined attribute level (or metric) to retrieve pre-stored templates having associated player profile attribute values that support the determined attribute value. Continuing with the foregoing first-person-shooter example, NPC profile engine 126 may determine that the player skill level for the NPC is 98.75 (or 99), or within the range of 90 and 110, and then retrieve a pre-stored template having numerical values (or other metrics) for each of the SPM, KDR, and WLR that are consistent with a player having a player skill level of 98.75 (or 99), or within the range of 90 and 110. These templates may be generated and based on historical player performance data of multiple players over time, and updated.

In instances where more than one NPC is required to fill gaps in a gameplay session, NPCs may be generated or selected to have different player skill levels (or other player profile attribute values) that span the spectrum of the player skill levels of the human players. In this manner, multiple NPCs may behave differently during gameplay, thereby further conveying the appearance of being actual human players rather than computer-controlled characters behaving identically. Continuing once again with the first-person-shooter example above, if only three human players were available, and two NPCs were needed for a gameplay session, one NPC may be generated or selected to have a player skill level at or near the lower end of the range of player skill levels of the human players, while the other NPC may be generated or selected to have a player skill level at or near the higher end of the range of player skill levels of the human players.

According to an aspect of the invention, NPCs may be further selected or generated according to a desired mix or balance of player roles or types for a given gameplay session. As an example, in a first-person-shooter game in which five snipers and five run-and-gunners represent an optimal mix of player roles, NPC management engine 124 may select NPCs to fill gaps such that the desired combination of five snipers and five run-and-gunners is achieved to the extent possible. Other factors including, but not limited to game profiles (described above), may be considered when selecting or generating NPCs for a gameplay session.

Similarly Styling NPCs and Human Players

Additionally, or as an alternative to styling NPCs to resemble human players, NPCs and/or human players may be similarly styled by, for example, presenting each with a limited set of profile attributes that may reduce or eliminate the ability to distinguish between them. In such an implementation, a human player may understand that the match may comprise both NPC and human players, but it remains difficult to discern whether a particular player is human or NPC.

For example, the presentation of (or ability to view or otherwise access) human and NPC player profiles may be limited to certain profile attributes in an effort to obscure identifying information that may be used to discern a human player from an NPC. In other words, upon accessing a profile for either a human player or NPC, only one or more predetermined profile attributes may be made visible. The remaining profile attributes may be “blacked-out” (or otherwise obscured or redacted), or omitted altogether. In some implementations, a second player profile including only certain profile attributes may be generated “on the fly” for each human player or NPC in a match, with only the second player profiles being made accessible to each human player in the match. Other configurations may be implemented.

Additionally, or alternatively, one or more profile attributes may be “anonymized.” For example, in some implementations, human players' personalized screen names may be replaced with a relatively anonymous screen name such as “Friend,” “Enemy,” “Blue Team,” “Red Team,” “Player A,” “Player B,” “Player 1,” “Player 2,” or other similar (generic) descriptor.

Additionally, or alternatively, in some implementations, in certain gameplay sessions including without limitation a real gameplay session and/or a practice gameplay session (e.g., associated with a “practice” or “training” mode of a game), human players may be prompted to select from among a predetermined set of playable characters having predefined profile attributes (e.g., in-game items such as weapons, powers, skills, customizations, or other profile attributes).

Further, in some implementations, various in-game features such as chat/communication features may be disabled altogether or limited to certain preset phrases, instructions, commands, and/or signals. In this regard, a lack of (or limited) communication between players in a gameplay session may prevent a human player from discovering that a teammate or opponent is a NPC based on a non-response, or an idiosyncratic or unusual response.

In some implementations of the invention, the ability to view (or otherwise access) player profiles of human players and/or NPCs may be disabled altogether.

Other configurations may be implemented.

Gameplay Behavior

According to an aspect of the invention, once one more NPCs have been selected or generated to fill gaps in a gameplay session, and the NPCs and/or human players have been styled, a gameplay session including the human players and NPC(s) may be initiated.

During gameplay, AI engine 128 may control an NPC's behavior (including gameplay actions) such that the NPC's gameplay more closely mimics the gameplay of the human players. As previously noted, idiosyncratic play by an NPC during actual gameplay may be an indicator that the character is an NPC and not a human player. By styling an NPC's gameplay tendencies to resemble that of a human player, the human players in the gameplay session may not recognize the NPC as a non-human, computer-controlled player.

In one implementation, AI engine 128 may analyze an NPC player profile (as selected or generated in the manner described above) to determine an appropriate skill level of play of the NPC. AI engine 128 may then analyze gameplay state information associated with one or more similarly-situated human players gathered over time (e.g., and stored in database 160) to determine appropriate gameplay behavior for the NPC. In this regard, an NPC that is styled to play like a novice human player, for example, can actually play like a novice human player based on the past performance of other real, novice human players in similar game instances.

In one implementation, an NPC may be directed (or trained) by AI engine 128 to engage in gameplay behavior that might not typically be associated with that of an NPC. For example, an NPC may be directed to demonstrate behavior such as friendliness (e.g., an NPC that demonstrates sportsman-like conduct during gameplay might be someone that a human player would enjoy playing with again), helpfulness (e.g., an NPC may assist another player via shared strategies or other scenarios), or team-oriented behavior (e.g., an NPC may play toward a common goal).

In one implementation, a NPC may be afforded access to all game objects (e.g., weapons, powers, skills, etc.) that human players may access or earn during gameplay. Oftentimes, an NPC may be easy to identify because they typically only use a certain game object in a certain gameplay situation. By varying these types of “default” behaviors or actions, and enabling NPCs to use or access different game objects in different gameplay situations, NPCs may appear more human-like in their actions.

Gameplay Scoring Considerations

According to an aspect of the invention, in various multiplayer matches, a human player may earn experience points, virtual currency, or some other accumulated virtual score/benefit that may allow the player to increase his or her level or status, or otherwise progress in the game (for example, by unlocking content or purchasing virtual goods). As a non-limiting example, in a first-person-shooter game, a player may earn experience points for kills, kill assists, victories, playing a certain amount of time or number of matches, or any other gameplay-related achievement. Typically, the amount of experience points (or other accumulated virtual score/benefit) earned for a particular achievement is predefined.

In some implementations of the invention, an amount of experience points (or other accumulated virtual score/benefit) earned in a given multiplayer match may be based on the presence of NPCs in the match. For example, in some instances, an amount of experience points (or other accumulated virtual score/benefit) earned in a match with NPCs may be discounted by a predefined percentage or amount because the match included non-human, computer-controlled players.

In other implementations, only experience points (or other accumulated virtual score/benefit) relating to certain gameplay achievements will be affected. For example, killing an NPC opponent may earn less experience points (or other accumulated virtual score/benefit) than killing a human opponent.

In yet other implementations, no experience points (or other accumulated virtual score/benefit) may be awarded in a match with NPCs.

Feedback

According to an aspect of the invention, AI engine 128 may monitor NPC gameplay performance in an effort to continually improve NPC performance, logic, strategy, and/or other NPC characteristics.

In some implementations, an NPC may be used over and over in multiple gameplay sessions, and AI engine 128 may fine tune the performance of the NPC each time so that it behaves in a manner more and more consistent with that of the human players in its gameplay sessions. In this regard, NPC management engine 124 may, over time, have access to a plurality of NPCs (e.g., stored in database 160) that have been fine-tuned for each skill level (e.g, beginner, advanced beginner, intermediate, expert, etc.).

In implementations wherein an NPC is not saved or stored for later gameplay sessions, AI engine 128 may nonetheless fine tune one or more of the NPC's player profile attributes and save them in a template or model for later use by NPC management engine 124 and or NPC profile engine 126 when generating NPCs to fill gaps.

In one implementation, AI engine 128 may further consider human player satisfaction metrics when determining when, how, and to what extent NPC performance, logic, strategy, and/or other NPC characteristics may be refined. For example, according to an aspect of the invention, AI engine 128 may consider a level of satisfaction by one or more human players involved in a gameplay session. One or more quality factors used to gauge whether gameplay associated with a given match was satisfying may include observable metrics that indicate a human player's level of satisfaction with gameplay. Examples of quality factors include, without limitation, a player quitting a match or gameplay session while other players are still playing (indicating dissatisfaction), a duration of a game session (e.g., a longer duration may indicate greater satisfaction), a gameplay performance factor (e.g., a kill-to-death ratio in a shooter game, a lap time in a racing game, etc., where greater performance may indicate greater satisfaction), a player engagement factor (e.g., a speed of player input, a level of focus as determined from camera peripherals, etc., where greater engagement may indicate greater satisfaction), a competition level of a game (e.g., whether lopsided or not, where evenly matched games may indicate greater satisfaction), a biometric factor (e.g., facial expressions, pulse, body language, sweat, etc.), explicit feedback from a player (e.g., responses to a survey), and/or other observable metric related to gameplay. One or more of these quality factors may be used to determine whether an NPC's performance either contributed to, or took away from, a human player's enjoyment of a gameplay session.

Exemplary Flowchart

FIG. 3 depicts an exemplary flowchart of processing operations for transparently styling NPCs in multiplayer video games, according to an implementation of the invention. The various processing operations and/or data flows depicted in FIG. 3 are described in greater detail herein. The described operations may be accomplished using some or all of the system components (enabling all of the features and functionality) described in detail above and, in some implementations, various operations may be performed in different sequences and various operations may be omitted. Additional operations may be performed along with some or all of the operations shown in the depicted flow diagrams. One or more operations may be performed simultaneously. Accordingly, the operations as illustrated (and described in greater detail below) are exemplary by nature and, as such, should not be viewed as limiting.

Operation 302

In an operation 302, one or more human video game players that are waiting to be matched, such as players whose characters are waiting in a virtual game lobby to join a gameplay session, may be identified. In one implementation, a matching engine may use known or hereafter-developed matchmaking techniques to generate a match (e.g., interchangeably referred to herein as “matchmaking”) by grouping players in an effort to produce the most satisfying player experiences. Game profiles, player profiles, match variables, and other factors may be considered when generating matches.

Operation 304

In an operation 304, a gap in a number of players required for a gameplay session may be identified. For example, in a gameplay session that requires a predetermined number of players to play on a team, gaps (or available player slots) may be identified if there are not enough human players identified to satisfy the predetermined number of players after passage of a predetermined time period.

Operation 306

In an operation 306, a determination may be made as to whether NPCs should be used to fill identified gaps (available player slots). This determination may be based on a myriad of factors.

For example, in one implementation, the matching engine may make a determination to utilize one or more NPCs if a requisite number of human players has not joined a gameplay session after a predetermined time period so as to not unnecessarily delay gameplay for one or more waiting human players. Additionally or alternatively, the determination to utilize one or more NPCs may be based on a skill level of the one or more waiting human players. In some implementations, human players may be made aware that NPCs may be used in a given match, even though it is not readily apparent which players are NPCs and which are human players.

In some implementations, human players may be provided with an option to fill one or more available player slots with NPCs. For example, in certain instances, a human player (e.g., the host of a multiplayer match) may designate whether available slots should be filled with NPCs, either with or without the other human players' knowledge. In other implementations, each human player may be provided the ability to indicate a preference as to whether available player slots should be filled with NPCs. A human player may indicate this preference, for example, in his or her player profile or through another interface.

In some implementations, the matching engine may elect to utilize NPCs if some threshold number of human players in the match indicate a willingness (or preference) to play with or against NPCs. For example, in some implementations, the matching engine may only utilize NPCs if all human players in the match indicate a willingness (or preference) to play with or against NPCs. Alternatively, the matching engine may utilize NPCs if a majority of players indicate a willingness (or preference) to play with NPCs, or if a majority of players do not oppose playing with or against NPCs.

Operation 308

If the determination is made, in operation 306, to forego the use of NPCs to fill identified gaps (available player slots), then, in an operation 308, human players that are waiting to be matched may continue to wait (e.g., in a virtual game lobby) to join a gameplay session until the requisite number of human players has been reached.

Operation 310

By contrast, if the determination is made, in operation 306, that available slots will be filled with NPCs, an NPC management engine may, in an operation 310, select or generate NPCs to fill those slots. For instance, in some implementations, the NPC management engine may select and retrieve one or more NPCs from among a collection of pre-generated NPCs stored, for instance, in a database. Alternatively, the NPC management engine may generate one or more NPCs in real-time (“on the fly”) when or more gaps in a gameplay session are identified.

In other implementations, one or more human players may designate the types of NPCs to be utilized (e.g., a designated team captain from each team may “draft” one or more NPCs to fill empty slots on their respective teams, a designated “host” player may select the NPCs to fill all empty slots, etc.).

Operation 312

Regardless of whether NPCs are selected or generated, or made available for selection by one or more human players, various implementations may be utilized to make it difficult to distinguish between human players and computer-controlled NPCs.

For example, in an operation 312, NPCs may be styled to resemble human players in terms of both player profile attributes and gameplay actions such that players may not recognize NPCs as non-human, computer-controlled players.

For example, according to an aspect of the invention, an NPC profile engine may populate a NPC profile (either in real-time when an NPC is generated, or for later retrieval) with attributes and attribute values typical of other human players in a gameplay session. In other words, any player profile attributes that may exist for a human player may also be provided and displayable for an NPC, regardless of whether one or more of the NPC attributes may be populated with non-actionable (or dummy) data. In this regard, a human player that views or otherwise accesses a NPC player profile may be led to believe that the NPC is actually a human player. Player profile attributes including demographic information (e.g., geographic location, gender, income level, etc.) may be created and displayed in an NPC player profile, along with player appearance preferences (e.g., player and weapon skins), membership in a “fake” clan or team, preference to play with clan mates or friends, win/loss records, scores, and/or other information typical of human gamers, yet not necessarily needed for a NPC. In this regard, an NPC may appear human if its NPC player profile is viewed or accessed by human players.

A variety of known computational and/or statistical methods may be used to ensure that an NPC is generated (for current gameplay or later selection) having attributes and attribute values typical of other human players in a gameplay session. Other factors including, but not limited to, game profiles and a desired mix or balance of player roles or types may be considered when selecting or generating NPCs for a gameplay session.

Additionally, or as an alternative to styling NPCs to resemble human players, NPCs and/or human players may be similarly styled in operation 312 by, for example, presenting each with a limited set of profile attributes that may reduce or eliminate the ability to distinguish between them. In such an implementation, a human player may understand that the match may comprise both NPC and human players, but it remains difficult to discern whether a particular player is human or NPC.

For example, the presentation of (or ability to view or otherwise access) human and NPC player profiles may be limited to certain profile attributes in an effort to obscure identifying information that may be used to discern a human player from an NPC. In other words, upon accessing a profile for either a human player or NPC, only one or more predetermined profile attributes may be made visible. The remaining profile attributes may be “blacked-out” (or otherwise obscured or redacted), or omitted altogether. In some implementations, a second player profile including only certain profile attributes may be generated “on the fly” for each human player or NPC in a match, with only the second player profiles being made accessible to each human player in the match. Other configurations may be implemented.

Additionally, or alternatively, one or more profile attributes may be “anonymized.” For example, in some implementations, human players' personalized screen names may be replaced with a relatively anonymous screen name, or other similar (generic) descriptor.

Additionally, or alternatively, in some implementations, in certain gameplay sessions including without limitation a real gameplay session and/or a practice gameplay session (e.g., associated with a “practice” or “training” mode of a game), human players may be prompted to select from among a predetermined set of playable characters having predefined profile attributes.

Further, in some implementations, various in-game features such as chat/communication features may be disabled altogether or limited to certain preset phrases, instructions, commands, and/or signals. In this regard, a lack of (or limited) communication between players in a gameplay session may prevent a human player from discovering that a teammate or opponent is a NPC based on a non-response, or an idiosyncratic or unusual response.

In some implementations of the invention, the ability to view (or otherwise access) player profiles of human players and/or NPCs may be disabled altogether.

Operation 314

Once one more NPCs have been selected or generated to fill gaps in a gameplay session, a gameplay session including the human players and NPC(s) may be initiated in an operation 314. During gameplay, an artificial intelligence (“AI”) engine may control an NPC's behavior (including gameplay actions) such that the NPC's gameplay more closely mimics the gameplay of the human players. By styling an NPC's gameplay tendencies to resemble that of a human player, the human players in the gameplay session may not recognize the NPC as a non-human, computer-controlled player.

In one implementation, the AI engine may analyze an NPC player profile (as selected or generated in the manner described above) to determine an appropriate skill level of play of the NPC. The AI engine may then analyze gameplay state information associated with one or more similarly-situated human players gathered over time (e.g., and stored in a database) to determine appropriate gameplay behavior for the NPC. In this regard, an NPC that is styled to play like a novice human player, for example, can actually play like a novice human player based on the past performance of other real, novice human players in similar game instances.

In one implementation, an NPC may be directed (or trained) by the AI engine to engage in gameplay behavior that might not typically be associated with that of an NPC. For example, an NPC may be directed to demonstrate behavior such as friendliness, helpfulness, or team-oriented behavior. Further, in some implementations, an NPC may be afforded access to all game objects (e.g., weapons, powers, skills, etc.) that human players may access or earn during gameplay.

Further, in various multiplayer matches, such as that initiated in operation 314, a human player may earn experience points, virtual currency, or some other accumulated virtual score/benefit that may allow the player to increase his or her level or status, or otherwise progress in the game (for example, by unlocking content or purchasing virtual goods).

In some implementations of the invention, an amount of experience points (or other accumulated virtual score/benefit) earned in a given multiplayer match may be based on the presence of NPCs in the match. For example, in some instances, an amount of experience points (or other accumulated virtual score/benefit) earned in a match with NPCs may be discounted by a predefined percentage or amount because the match included non-human, computer-controlled players.

In other implementations, only experience points (or other accumulated virtual score/benefit) relating to certain gameplay achievements will be affected. For example, killing an NPC opponent may earn less experience points (or other accumulated virtual score/benefit) than killing a human opponent.

In yet other implementations, no experience points (or other accumulated virtual score/benefit) may be awarded in a match with NPCs.

Operation 316

In an operation 316, the AI engine may monitor NPC gameplay performance in an effort to continually improve NPC performance, logic, strategy, and/or other NPC characteristics.

In some implementations, an NPC may be used over and over in multiple gameplay sessions, and the AI engine may fine tune the performance of the NPC each time so that it behaves in a manner more and more consistent with that of the human players in its gameplay sessions.

In implementations wherein an NPC is not saved or stored for later gameplay sessions, the AI engine may nonetheless fine tune one or more of the NPC's player profile attributes and save them in a template or model for later use when generating NPCs to fill gaps.

In one implementation, the AI engine 128 may further consider human player satisfaction metrics when determining when, how, and to what extent NPC performance, logic, strategy, and/or other NPC characteristics may be refined.

Other implementations, uses and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. The specification should be considered exemplary only, and the scope of the invention is accordingly intended to be limited only by the following claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method of transparently styling non-player characters in a multiplayer video game to resemble characters controlled by human players, the method being implemented in a computer system having one or more physical processors programmed with computer program instructions that, when executed by the one or more physical processors, cause the computer system to perform the method, the method comprising: identifying, by the computer system, one or more human players to be matched for a gameplay session of a multiplayer video game, wherein each human player has a player profile comprising a number of profile attributes; determining, by the computer system, whether a total number of players required for the gameplay session is met by the identified human players; obtaining, by the computer system, one or more non-player characters to fill available spots in the gameplay session responsive to a determination that the total number of players required for the gameplay session is not met by the identified human players, wherein each of the one or more non-player characters has a non-player character player profile comprising a number of profile attributes; determining, by the computer system, a subset of profile attributes common to the identified human player profiles and the non-player character player profiles; and permitting, by the computer system, the display of only the determined subset of profile attributes when any identified human player profile or non-player character player profile is accessed.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying one or more human players to be matched for a gameplay session further comprises: prompting, by the computer system, each identified human player to select from among a predetermined set of playable characters having predefined player profiles prior to commencement of the gameplay session.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining one or more non-player characters to fill available spots in the gameplay session further comprises: receiving an input selection of the one or more non-player characters from one of the identified human players.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining one or more non-player characters to fill available spots in the gameplay session further comprises: generating or selecting, by the computer system, the one or more non-player characters.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: anonymizing, by the computer system, at least one profile attribute of the determined subset of profile attributes by replacing an attribute value for the at least one profile attribute with a generic attribute value in each of the identified human player profiles and the non-player character player profiles.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: limiting, by the computer system, communication between an identified human player and a non-player character to one or more predefined phrases, instructions, or commands during the gameplay session.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: disabling, by the computer system, an ability of an identified human player to communicate with a non-player character during the gameplay session.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: awarding, by the computer system, an identified human player with an in-game benefit for an achievement during the gameplay session that is a lesser percentage of what the identified human player would have received for the same achievement had no non-player characters been utilized during the gameplay session.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the gameplay session comprises a practice or training session.
 10. A system for transparently styling non-player characters in a multiplayer video game to resemble characters controlled by human players, the system comprising: one or more physical processors programmed with one or more computer program instructions which, when executed, cause the one or more physical processors to: identify one or more human players to be matched for a gameplay session of a multiplayer video game, wherein each human player has a player profile comprising a number of profile attributes; determine whether a total number of players required for the gameplay session is met by the identified human players; obtain one or more non-player characters to fill available spots in the gameplay session responsive to a determination that the total number of players required for the gameplay session is not met by the identified human players, wherein each of the one or more non-player characters has a non-player character player profile comprising a number of profile attributes; determine a subset of profile attributes common to the identified human player profiles and the non-player character player profiles; and permit the display of only the determined subset of profile attributes when any identified human player profile or non-player character player profile is accessed.
 11. The system of claim 10, wherein, to identify one or more human players to be matched for a gameplay session, the one or more processors are further caused to: prompt each identified human player to select from among a predetermined set of playable characters having predefined player profiles prior to commencement of the gameplay session.
 12. The system of claim 10, wherein, to obtain one or more non-player characters to fill available spots in the gameplay session, the one or more processors are further caused to: receive an input selection of the one or more non-player characters from one of the identified human players.
 13. The system of claim 10, wherein, to obtain one or more non-player characters to fill available spots in the gameplay session, the one or more processors are further caused to: generate or select the one or more non-player characters.
 14. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are further caused to: anonymize at least one profile attribute of the determined subset of profile attributes by replacing an attribute value for the at least one profile attribute with a generic attribute value in each of the identified human player profiles and the non-player character player profiles.
 15. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are further caused to: limit communication between an identified human player and a non-player character to one or more predefined phrases, instructions, or commands during the gameplay session.
 16. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are further caused to: disable an ability of an identified human player to communicate with a non-player character during the gameplay session.
 17. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are further caused to: award an identified human player with an in-game benefit for an achievement during the gameplay session that is a lesser percentage of what the identified human player would have received for the same achievement had no non-player characters been utilized during the gameplay session.
 18. The system of claim 10, wherein the gameplay session comprises a practice or training session.
 19. A computer program product for transparently styling non-player characters in a multiplayer video game to resemble characters controlled by human players, the computer program product comprising: one or more tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage devices; program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more tangible, non-transitory computer-readable tangible storage devices that, when executed, cause a computer to: identify one or more human players to be matched for a gameplay session of a multiplayer video game, wherein each human player has a player profile comprising a number of profile attributes; determine whether a total number of players required for the gameplay session is met by the identified human players; obtain one or more non-player characters to fill available spots in the gameplay session responsive to a determination that the total number of players required for the gameplay session is not met by the identified human players, wherein each of the one or more non-player characters has a non-player character player profile comprising a number of profile attributes; determine a subset of profile attributes common to the identified human player profiles and the non-player character player profiles; and permit the display of only the determined subset of profile attributes when any identified human player profile or non-player character player profile is accessed.
 20. A computer-implemented method of transparently styling non-player characters in a multiplayer video game to resemble characters controlled by human players, the method being implemented in a computer system having one or more physical processors programmed with computer program instructions that, when executed by the one or more physical processors, cause the computer system to perform the method, the method comprising: identifying, by the computer system, one or more human players to be matched for a gameplay session of a multiplayer video game, wherein each human player has a player profile comprising a number of player profile attributes, each player profile attribute having a value; determining, by the computer system, whether a total number of players required for the gameplay session is met by the identified human players; selecting or generating, by the computer system, one or more non-player characters to fill available spots in the gameplay session responsive to a determination that the total number of players required for the gameplay session is not met by the identified human players, wherein each of the one or more non-player characters has a player profile that includes at least every player profile attribute shared in common among the identified human players; and controlling, by the computer system, the one or more non-player characters during the gameplay session using artificial intelligence, such that gameplay behavior of the one or more non-player characters is modeled in part on historical performance of human players having values for player profile attributes substantially similar to the values of the player profile attributes of the identified human players. 